I admit that it was mostly blue, but blue means blue skies and blue sea. It was only one week, but I think that now I have enough colour to get me through winter. But then again, I could always go for another glass of fresh pomegrante juice.

If I was as good at dressing in layers as I am at eating in layers, perhaps I would have not caught a cold. However, just because my diet has been reduced to raw garlic, ginger and honey, does not mean that I can't reminisce about recent delicious breakfasts (that I hope to repeat soon).

Soon I will be scribbling packing lists (sandals for Israel and snow boots for Germany), returning library books last minute, and hoping that I put my passport in an easy to find place. But for now I rather think about Saint Lucia, the economy of secrets, and the Oktoberfest sky.

In a few weeks I will be celebrating a very merry German Christmas. And such a German Christmas implies long car rides on the Autobahn, as well as road-side snacks. Years ago, I discovered road-side pickles somewhere in Thuringia. Now it is hard to imagine long car rides without them.

Before moving to Sweden, I made my first batch of fresh-pickles. A few ingredients plus ten days in the fridge, and I think maybe, just maybe they were even tastier than German road-side pickles. However, airport regulations discouraged me from packing any in my bag.

Rinse cucumbers. Cut off both ends. Place in a large bowl or bucket, cover with salt and water. Weigh down the cucumbers with a heavy plate and leave for 12-24 hours. Rinse off the salt with several changes of water. Mix 2 1/2 cups of water with 2 cups of white vinegar. Mix together spices. Pack cucumbers into several sterilized jars. In each jar add garlic cloves, a branch of fresh dill, 2 tsp of spice mix and enough vinegar to cover the cucumbers. Refrigerate for 10 days before serving. These are very crunchy pickles and can be stored in the fridge for about a month.